Death of a Thai tourism pioneer

HANS-PETER TUGGENER, a pioneer of tourism to Thailand from Western Europe, died last Friday in Switzerland after a long battle with cancer. Tuggener, or 'Tuggi' to friends, was general manager of Diethelm Travel Thailand in the early days when the country was just on the cusp of tourism growth. Peter Diethelm, former managing director of Kuoni UK, recalled: “On a hot and humid day in April 1968 in Tuggi’s office at Diethelm Travel in Bangkok was where my love affair with Thailand began. We debated a crazy idea that Kuoni would start a weekly charter flight from London to Bangkok and I promised that if he helped me get the right product at the right price we would send thousands of passengers from the UK to Thailand and use Diethelm Travel as our inbound agency. “Next day, we started a 14-day site inspection trip together and checked out hotels in Bangkok, upcountry tours to Chiangmai and the beach resorts of Pattaya which only had two reasonable hotels, Nippa Lodge and the new Pattaya Palace. I was bowled over by the beauty of the country, its smiling people, the unique experience, not to mention the exotic nightlife. “Thanks to Tuggi's instant enthusiasm and support for our project, Thailand became the flagship destination for the fledgling Kuoni UK tour operation and, in a matter of a few years, we were the undisputed leader of package holidays from UK to Thailand, carrying more than 20,000 passengers to this lovely destination year after year.” Luzi Matzig, CEO of Asian Trails Thailand, said: “He was the man who recruited me in November 1971 to join Diethelm Travel where he was the GM till 1989, when I took over from him till 1999. “Hans and I were among the early discoverers of upcountry Thailand as we went on many pioneering trips together to the north, travelling on dirt bikes and staying in remote tribal villages. We had some really good times together. He was good at telling stories from the ‘olden days’. Playing the Guggitaler Jass, a Swiss card game, was a monthly affair for us until not too long ago when cancer started to wear him down.” Kurt Rufli, former managing director of Amari Hotels & Resorts, said: “During his decades-long tenure as boss of Diethelm Travel, Hans not only played a major role in developing Thailand’s tourism industry, he became an essential and highly-respected member of the trade fraternity. On every occasion, his quiet presence, ready smile, interesting conversations and gentle mien endeared him to many. “During his long battle with cancer, we watched with admiration as he submitted himself to surgery and debilitating chemotherapy, yet still retained his sense of humour and caring concern for others. I salute Hans for his courage, and I am most grateful for the friendship I was privileged to share with him over many years.” Said Basil McCall, then vice president sales and marketing who negotiated room allocation and rates with Diethelm: “Hans Tuggener was a gentleman, and a gentle man. Affable, quiet spoken and always pleasant company, he concealed a subtle sense of humour which often took you by surprise. “Although he commanded a high position in Thailand’s travel industry, and played a major part in its development over many years, Hans became an endearingly down-to-earth person out of his office chair and enjoyed the simple things in life most. Months before the Superhighway to Don Muang airport was opened, early mornings often saw Hans pedalling his bicycle along stretches of the virgin road. He would often describe to me the sheer pleasure of doing that, long before the city was awake.” The funeral service will be held on November 16 at 2 pm at the Roman Catholic Church of Siebnen in the Zurich region of Switzerland. Sourced: TTG Asia